Verbal Communication

Accents and Dialects
The documentary
American Tongues
, although dated at this point, is still a
fascinating look at the rich tapestry of accents and dialects that makes up American
English.
Dialects
32
are versions of languages that have distinct words, grammar,
and pronunciation.
Accents
33
are distinct styles of pronunciation.Myron W. Lustig
32. Versions of languages that
have distinct words, grammar,
and pronunciation.
33. Distinct styles of
pronunciation.
Chapter 3 Verbal Communication
3.4 Language, Society, and Culture
170

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American English has several
dialects that vary based on
region, class, and ancestry.
© Thinkstock
and Jolene Koester,
Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across
Cultures
, 2nd ed. (Boston, MA: Pearson, 2006), 199–200. There can be multiple
accents within one dialect. For example, people in the Appalachian Mountains of
the eastern United States speak a dialect of American English that is characterized
by remnants of the linguistic styles of Europeans who settled the area a couple
hundred years earlier. Even though they speak this similar dialect, a person in
Kentucky could still have an accent that is distinguishable from a person in western
North Carolina.
Dialects and accents can vary by region, class, or
ancestry, and they influence the impressions that we
make of others. When I moved to Colorado from North
Carolina, I was met with a very strange look when I used
the word
buggy
to refer to a shopping cart. Research
shows that people tend to think more positively about
others who speak with a dialect similar to their own and
think more negatively about people who speak
differently. Of course, many people think they speak
normally and perceive others to have an accent or
dialect. Although dialects include the use of different
words and phrases, it’s the tone of voice that often
creates the strongest impression. For example, a person
who speaks with a Southern accent may perceive a New
Englander’s accent to be grating, harsh, or rude because
the pitch is more nasal and the rate faster. Conversely, a
New Englander may perceive a Southerner’s accent to be syrupy and slow, leading
to an impression that the person speaking is uneducated.